The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-26
THE MANIToBAN CONTROVERSY.

ers may succeed in defeating the suits.
THE MANIT0BAN CONTROVERSY.
The Manitoba railway controversy presents
some interesting phases. and judging from the
attention given to it by the Canadian and
English press it may involve important
sequences In fact, the whole controversy
turns on constitutional questions of radical
nature and its decision may lead up to inter-
| esting political conclusions. The conditions
| of the case are these By certain stipulations
in the charter of the Canadian Pacific rail-
way the Dominion government agreed to for
| bid the building of any railway line connect
ing tie Northwestern provinces with the Amer
| lean frontier. AS this woald be virtually
connection with the American railway system
the Canadian Pacific did not want it. Mani
! toba, PARKWAY province of the Dominion,
desires such connection and proposed to Sc
cure it by constructing railroad along the
Red River valley, celebrated for its wheat pro-
| duction. The construction of this road is de-
| sired by the Mantobans as business and COM
mercial enterprise and because it would give
them an outlet to the south and connection
with the American railway system in the
Northwest. Accordingly the provincial
Legislature of Manitoba passed an
act incorporating company and
authorizing the construction of
the road. But under the Canadian constitu-
| ton the Dominion government may veto an
| af O1of1 Il
| this railroad bill This was the starting point
of the controversy. Notwithstanding the veto
| the Manitoba government went on and let
| contracts for building the road, the people
| with accord demanding that it do so. To
| all argument as to the constitutional right of
| the Dominion government to veto the railway
bill the Manitobans answered that they
wanted the road and would have it at all
hazards. The work of grading pushed
rapidly as possible until few days ago it
reached property owned by the Canadian
Pacific. On their application the federal
court granted temporary injunction
straining the builders of the road from pro-
ceeding further. This was disregarded and
the work went AT last accounts it was
still going on, is also the legal con troversy
and the wordy war between the Dominion
authorities and those of Manitoba The ar
gument the injunction has been postponed
for two weeks, but work on the road has not
been suspended. Sir John Macdonald, the
Canadian Premier, has threatened to send
British regulars to stop the work, and the
Manitobans say they will meet force with
force. So the matter stands and there is a
deadlock between the two governments. 1t
is evident from this statement of facts that
the case involves fundamental principles of
constitutio nal law and popular rights, and
may lead to grave political complications.
The Canadian and London papers treat it seri-
ously. The Toronto Mail refers to the action
of the Dominion government 'this fresh
attempt to prevent ninety thousand settlers
from Kidding themselves of hateful monop-
oly," and warns the Ministers that they can
not afford to allow the officers of the Canadian
Pacific to represent them in 'fsuch grave
and perilous matter" The Toronto Globe
accuses the government of ''trying by one
toba in such position that they can have no
alternative but to submit to acute grievances
or fight The London Times thinks
the controversy discloses the possibil-
and concludes: "The position altogether
seems to be one in which the needless haste
of few persons must precipitate the solution
or, at least the consideration, with
view to the solution-of a very extensive
question, in which the whole future of the
Dominion is bound up" The ST. James Ga
zette thinks that Canada is at the beginning
of long constitutional struggle, which may
easily resolve itself into something even more
serious while the Pail Mall Gazette denounces
the idea of attempting to coerce the Manito-
bans by force. 'The idea," says the Gazette,
sis preposterous WHAT Send our red coats
into the heart of the American continent to
forbid the population of great province from
finding natural outlet for their products
The notion is worthy of Bedlam." This
touches the keynote of the whole business.
The proposed road is commercial necessity.
Manitoba wants it and will have it. To
sist is like trying to resist the laws of nature.
The inevitable tendency of events is to draw
the people of Canada and the United States
into closer commercial relations, and it cannot
be successfully resisted. 1t is not improba-
BILE that closer political relations will follow.
THE tendency of political campaign in
Ohio is bringing out some facts in regard to
the relative expenses in Republican and Dem
u H. A.